UFC Is Not Synonymous With MMA

Through mainstream advertising and marketing, UFC has now overtaken as the king of the MMA brands. However, this does not mean that the UFC is the only brand of MMA, nor the best.

There are so many MMA brands out there: IFC, IFL, WEC, Pride, CFFC, EliteXC, etc. It all depends on what your taste in MMA is.

I don't write this to knock on the UFC, I just point out that there are other brands for MMA out there—the UFC just happens to be the biggest and most widely-known of them. Many of the big names that made the UFC what it is today have left the UFC or are in the process of leaving and closing out their contracts.

Tim Sylvia (24-4-0) left the UFC earlier this year to fight Fedor Emelianenko (28-1-0) on July 19 with Affliction. Randy Couture left the UFC because the only fight that made sense to him was the Emilianenko fight. However, Dana White and the UFC refused to put together a contract for Fedor for the Couture-Fedor fight.

Among all this, the UFC has a history of not paying their fighters what they're worth, which is another reason why Couture left the UFC.

To 99 percent of you reading this, you already know that the UFC is not the only MMA brand out there, you know who left the UFC, and you know the reasons why.

This is only meant to point to those that love MMA and are looking elsewhere for a fresh change of stale air and plenty of good action.